All public schools are required to meet Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) in order to avoid stiff penalties, per the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act. This presents a unique challenge for comprehensive career and technical (CTE) schools. While there is an emphasis on the CTE path that students are interested in pursuing, academic areas must be mastered with proficiency in order for a school to be successful (in this case, as defined by the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment, or (PSSA)). In...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Vocational Schools, Teaching Models, Federal Legislation, Educational Improvement,...
One of ACTE's goals is to improve the image of career and technical education (CTE) through outreach to the media. As media relations manager, the author receives calls from reporters asking questions about the types of students who participate in CTE. Reporters often have a misconception that CTE students are troubled or "at the bottom of the rung." Today's CTE students are smart, technologically savvy and successful. ACTE is working to improve the media's perception of them and the...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Technical Education, Career Education, Public Relations, Mass Media, Press Opinion,...
Many career and technical education (CTE) programs rely heavily on support from the business community to serve their students. However, there is very little information available on building solid business-education partnerships. Most people in the business world will say that they care about education, but how can educators find the people willing to pay education more than lip service by committing their time and resources to support schools? What do those people want to accomplish? What can...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Business, Partnerships in Education, Technical Education, Career Education, Program...
In this article, we explore the models of literacy conveyed by contemporary secondary career education policies, programs, and imperatives in the province of Ontario. The Ontario career education policies we reviewed uniformly advance a functional and socially reproductive model of literacy that undermines the democratic agency of learners. In response to these concerns, we propose that critical literacy should be introduced into Ontario secondary career education initiatives to encourage the...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Foreign Countries, Career Education, Educational Change, Critical Reading, Literacy,...
According to Warren Bennis, professor at the University of Southern California's Marshall School of Business and a recognized authority on organizational development, leadership and change, becoming a leader is synonymous with becoming oneself. It is precisely that simple, and it is also that difficult. In career and technical student organizations (CTSOs), students are taking on that difficult challenge. These young people are still growing--"becoming themselves" as Bennis says--but...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Community Leaders, Health Occupations, Student Organizations, Leadership Training,...
Career and technical educators have long recognized the fact that a highly skilled craftsperson is not necessarily a highly skilled instructor of that craft. In the belief that the key to a productive, efficient workforce lies in high quality training for journeymen and apprentices, the Carpenter's International Training Fund (CITF) partnered with the Workforce Education and Development Program (WF ED) of Pennsylvania State University in an effort to improve the quality of workforce education....
Topics: ERIC Archive, Seminars, Workshops, Labor Force Development, Instructional Effectiveness, Career...
In an effort to individualize instruction and improve the effectiveness of instructor-learner transactions, education and instructional research has addressed a wide assortment of learner variables and assessed their relationships to instructional methods and environments. Adult education has recently seen the development by Conti and Kolody of a new model for the study and classification of learning preferences, which they call learning strategies. To accompany their model, they created a new...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Student Attitudes, Learning Strategies, Technical Education, Teaching Methods,...
In the 2007 edition of "Diplomas Count", "Education Week" reported that nationally more than one-third of the students lost from the high school pipeline fail to make the transition from the ninth to the 10th grade. This explains why, for more than two decades, schools and districts across the country have struggled to develop freshman transition activities and courses to address this critical transitional time for students. Unfortunately, many of these efforts have failed...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Career Choice, Academic Achievement, Grade 8, Grade 9, School Holding Power, Career...
The sharp decline in voter participation among Canadian youth requires an examination of how our students are being prepared for democratic citizenship. Public schools, including programs falling under the purview of career education, provide the means to prepare learners for vocational, community, and political participation. In Canada, career preparation occurs under a variety of names--Career Planning in British Columbia, Career Preparation in Alberta, Guidance and Career Education in...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Foreign Countries, Apprenticeships, Career Education, Democratic Values, Policy...
Also known as the read/write or participatory Web, Web 2.0 includes such tools as blogs, podcasts, forums, wikis and social networks. It gives users the ability to take in information and create, organize and connect with others interested in the same topics. Web 2.0 is revolutionizing education because students and educators can easily and cost-effectively receive and create information and interact with each other. In this article, the author discusses the applications of Web 2.0 for...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Web Sites, Electronic Publishing, Social Networks, Internet, Access to Information,...
This case study provides viewpoints of knowledge sharing by expert teaching professors and their mentees. Professors who were recognized as expert teachers with an annual award at a mid-western USA university were the units of analysis of this study. Expert teaching professors had difficulty articulating much of their teaching expertise. The difficulty was rooted in three characteristics of teaching expertise. Sharing tacit knowledge was also noted as a difficult task because the nature of...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Teacher Education Programs, Reflective Teaching, Technical Education, Teacher...
In 2004, the College of Education at Oklahoma State University began the task of building a partnership with the Defense Ammunition Center (DAC) in McAlester, Oklahoma, and implementing research-driven, experience-based workforce education. In this article, the authors describe unique features and challenges of this multi-year University/Government collaboration which is aligned with the mission and goals of National Association of Industrial Technical Teacher Education (NAITTE), and provide an...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Qualitative Research, Higher Education, Cooperation, Schools of Education, Mentors,...
Adolescent pregnancy has occurred throughout America's history. Only in recent years has it been deemed an urgent crisis, as more young adolescent mothers give birth outside of marriage. At-risk circumstances associated with adolescent pregnancy include medical and health complications, less schooling and higher dropout rates, lower career aspirations, and a life encircled by poverty. While legislation for career and technical education has focused attention on special needs populations, the...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Dropout Rate, Pregnancy, Early Adolescents, Technical Education, Adolescents, Career...
This study explored potential influences that students' educational label, behavior, and learning characteristics have on program expectations, modifications, accommodations, and postsecondary outcomes as perceived by Indiana secondary career and technical education (CTE) instructors. This is a replication study of research conducted with Pennsylvania CTE instructors (see Harvey & Pellock, 2003). Participants were asked to rate program elements using a 5-point Likert-type scale after...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Disabilities, Technical Education, Student Behavior, Cognitive Style, Student...
Low employment and underemployment rates for students with disabilities have drawn national attention resulting in federal legislation. The research literature indicates a strong relationship between job success and interpersonal factors, especially for employees with disabilities. This study investigated social skills and problem behaviors of general and special education career and technical education students using the Social Skills Rating System instrument. Findings indicated that social...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Employees, Individualized Transition Plans, Federal Legislation, Disabilities,...
Access to the baccalaureate and higher education in France has become more democratic. The introduction of the vocational baccalaureate has been part of this process, but remains a modest step forward given the very low take-up of vocational baccalaureate courses. If vocational education pathways in France are to become true gateways to higher education and social mobility, career guidance and lifelong learning need to become more effective and the French higher education system needs to be...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Higher Education, Foreign Countries, Vocational Education, Access to Education,...
The aim of the research behind this article is to identify the relationships that must exist between university training and the social and occupational environment. One of the many functions that derive from the university-society relationship is to train students to carry out certain professions. as a result, the analysis of the labour market integration of graduates from one university and the definition of their skills becomes a quality indicator of this relationship and one of the pillars...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Labor Market, College Graduates, Career Education, Questionnaires, Education Work...
One of the most important components to the discussion of emerging careers is the recognition that the American economy will need an increasingly skilled workforce. According to the recent report, "Help Wanted: Projections of Job and Education Requirements Through 2018," the American workforce will be in need of 22 million new college degrees as well as 4.7 million new workers with postsecondary certificates. The report also notes that America will fall short of workers with associate...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Career Education, Labor Force Development, Human Capital, Demand Occupations,...
Educators must prepare today's youth not only for jobs requiring a four-year college experience, but also for careers that demand more than a high school diploma but something other than a traditional university degree. This is why technical schools can be a viable option for training students with skills needed for a particular type of employment, such as automotive technology. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' (BLS) "Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-2011 Edition,"...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Labor Market, Career Counseling, Career Education, Career Guidance, Demand...
With high school dropout rates at about 30 percent nationwide and an anticipated severe workforce shortage as baby boomers retire, now is the time to engage future workers. Educators must encourage high school students to be proactive career planners. Today's high school students will fuel the workforce pipeline with educated, skilled workers who are ready to fill quality, high-paying jobs in industries such as health care, manufacturing, technology and engineering. The Lee's Summit R-7 School...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Elementary Secondary Education, Student Records, Employment Potential, Job Skills,...
In choosing high school courses, students often seem to focus on everything except preparation for an intended major or career. They consider graduation requirements, weighted classes, easy classes...but rarely are these types of choices preparing students for postsecondary education. This article describes the "Career Companion Guide" which the Rockwood School District in Eureka, Missouri, developed to help students choose courses in high school that match their career interests and...
Topics: ERIC Archive, High Schools, Career Guidance, Career Education, College Preparation, Course...
Career and technical educators are constantly being challenged to have their courses meet the changing needs of their students in this fast-paced world people live in. As the name implies, the hybrid online course is a melding of traditional and online learning. In this article, the author describes her experience designing hybrid courses that meet her traditional course objectives, while providing convenience and flexibility to a diverse student population.
Topics: ERIC Archive, Electronic Learning, Course Objectives, Online Courses, Blended Learning, Curriculum...
Management experts have observed that employment relationship has become contractual, fragile, and short-lived. Downsizings have resulted in some people having far too much work and stress, while increasing numbers have no work at all. As a result, people are taking jobs they do not really want and staying longer in jobs they do not really like. This author states that workforce preparation needs a holistic approach that includes awareness of some of the harsh realities of today's world--a...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Career Education, Holistic Approach, Education Work Relationship, Quality of Working...
The purpose of this study was to determine how selected career and technical education teachers (CTE) in West Virginia perceived the impact of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act. A convenience sample was used to select thirty-seven (N = 37) career and technical education teachers from five Southern West Virginia career and technical schools. The data suggest that professional development programs provided less than adequate provisions of NCLB to selected CTE teachers. It appears that selected...
Topics: ERIC Archive, School District Autonomy, Teacher Effectiveness, Federal Legislation, Vocational...
The purpose of this study was to identify the perceptions of occupational education officers concerning the instructional skills professional development needs for part-time faculty members within the community colleges in the U.S. The types of instructional help part-time faculty members were perceived to need most were concentrated in the following areas: (a) identifying the learning characteristics of students; (b) alternating teaching methods to accommodate different learning styles; (c)...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Distance Education, Web Based Instruction, Faculty Development, College Faculty,...
This pilot study served as a foundation for a statewide comprehensive review of vocational career preparation programs at the community colleges in the State of California. Los Angeles County was determined to be the primary focus of investigation. The main focus was to collect, report, and disseminate current and valid information on existing conditions and the state of affairs of vocational education students at the community colleges in California. Most importantly, study findings provided a...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Community Colleges, Vocational Education, Benchmarking, Student Characteristics,...
Career and Technical Education (CTE) in America continues to evolve at both the secondary and postsecondary levels. This evolution of CTE is demonstrated by changing policies and practices that are driven from new legislation and educational reform initiatives. Policies and practices should be based on accepted principles that are derived from a particular philosophic set of values. As CTE has changed, discussion regarding the principles and philosophy that gives rise and justifies these...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Educational Philosophy, Educational Change, Technical Education, Educational...
This article summarizes findings from a recent study of 451 Career Technical Education (CTE) and non-CTE students as drawn from seven high schools supported by an area career technical center. One aspect of this study examined each group's academic standing and their socioeconomic status, including the household living arrangements and the family income level present in those households. Findings related to academic standing and income are similar to previous research in that the typical CTE...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Family Income, Economically Disadvantaged, Profiles, Technical Education, Career...
Women have increasingly become more involved in the workforce following World War II. Paid employment of women has shifted from primarily traditional female-oriented jobs to more non-traditional, and previously male-oriented careers. Women's participation in the workforce has lead to the study of career aspirations of women. Career aspirations are influenced by factors such as gender, socioeconomic status, race, parents' occupation and education level, and parental expectations. This review of...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Females, Career Development, Occupational Aspiration, Womens Education, Womens...
This action research study (ARS) describes teacher perceptions of various career guidance instruments in one high school and their impact on high school students in career decision-making. The paper also discusses the teacher ranking of the career guidance methods and ways in which counselors and teachers can work together to assist students to make more realistic career choices. (Contains 1 table.)
Topics: ERIC Archive, Action Research, Guidance Programs, Career Guidance, Career Choice, Career...
The world is changing rapidly. With changes in technology, demographics, and workforce trends, Washington needs colleges to not only keep pace, but lead the way. Washington's 34 community and technical colleges answer that call. The community and technical colleges have proven uniquely positioned to adapt to, embrace, and ignite change. Community and technical colleges build prosperity for all Washingtonians. This document briefly discusses how Washington community and technical colleges...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Community Colleges, Technical Institutes, Career Education, Employment Potential,...
Significant attention and resources have been focused on reforming high schools to enhance graduation rates. The research literature supports the following practices: (1) For struggling students, accurate identification and intensive instructional, monitoring, and counseling support; (2) For 9th graders, transition activities, personalization, and academic support strategies; and (3) For teachers, intensive training to help them provide effective instruction and support, particularly for...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Best Practices, High School Graduates, Academic Support Services, Educational Change,...
ACT has conducted over 20,000 job analyses for occupations across a diverse array of industries and occupations since 1993. This report highlights the levels of career readiness for various subgroups of ACT Work Keys® examinees in the United States and provides career readiness benchmarks for selected ACT WorkKeys cognitive skills by career cluster. Career readiness is defined as the academic skills and performance level of those skills required for readiness in jobs within a particular career...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Career Readiness, Benchmarking, Occupations, Career Education, Job Skills, Critical...
The current level of apportionment for Career Development and College Preparation (CDCP) enhanced noncredit classes and program--at only 71% of the credit rate--does not provide adequate funding for noncredit programs that endeavor to support job readiness, provide a gateway to enrollment in credit classes, and attract and retain quality faculty and staff. This policy brief discusses five noncredit categories, which are the focus of the Assembly Bill 86 adult education planning process, and...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Noncredit Courses, Financial Support, Resource Allocation, Career Development,...
The Workforce Training and Economic Development (WTED) Fund was established in 2003 as part of the Grow Iowa Values Fund and is currently funded through the Iowa Skilled Worker and Job Creation Fund. This fund has become an important source of financing for community college new program innovation, development, and capacity building, particularly for career and technical education. The funding is allocated annually using the community college state general aid distribution formula as provided...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Labor Force Development, Educational Finance, State Aid, Community Colleges, Program...
Education Commission of the States (ECS) strives to keep its constituency apprised of education policy trends across the states. To provide a comprehensive overview of educational priorities outlined by governors, ECS summarized the education proposals and accomplishments detailed in every 2015 State of the State address delivered to date. Each state's full summary is available on ECS's website. This report highlights the top six education priorities for governors in 2015: (1) Early Learning;...
Topics: ERIC Archive, State Government, State Officials, State Policy, Educational Policy, Speeches,...
Research shows that students who participate in dual enrollment are more likely than their peers to finish high school, enter college and complete a degree. This means dual enrollment can greatly benefit students in rural areas, which report lower college-going and postsecondary attainment rates than other locales. However, rural areas face unique challenges in providing high-quality dual enrollment programs: (1) Securing qualified instructors, either high school teachers who have the...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Dual Enrollment, Career Education, Technical Education, Community Colleges, Rural...
Postsecondary education and credentials are key to economic mobility for individuals and economic competitiveness for our nation. Although the economic return to credentials varies significantly by field of study, generally workers with higher levels of education have higher wages, work more hours, and suffer lower rates and shorter durations of unemployment. As routine jobs are giving way to work environments necessitating higher-order communication and analytical skills, employers are...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Postsecondary Education, Credentials, Program Implementation, Educational Policy,...
Even after accounting for all financial aid, many low-income college students have thousands of dollars of unmet need, even when they attend low-cost institutions such as community colleges. This is one factor that contributes to low rates of college completion, especially by low-income and other non-traditional students. One way to close this gap is to help students understand and access public benefits that can help them temporarily meet basic needs. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Low Income Groups, College Students, Student Financial Aid, Federal Legislation,...
The Accelerating Opportunity initiative helps our nation's lowest-skilled adults earn college credentials and enter higher-wage jobs faster by combining the Adult Basic Education and career and technical training they need into one integrated curriculum. Based on four years of designing and managing Accelerating Opportunity, Jobs for the Future and its partners have uncovered critical lessons for replicating and scaling this promising initiative for adult learners. These lessons address both...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Adult Programs, Adult Learning, Continuation Students, Integrated Curriculum, Adult...
In 2011, the Harvard Graduate School of Education released "Pathways to Prosperity: Meeting the Challenge of Preparing Young Americans for the 21st Century." The report argued that the current education system was too narrowly focused on the goal of preparing all young people to pursue a four-year college or university degree immediately after high school, while other postsecondary routes to careers might suit significant numbers of students far better. Only one young person in three...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Career Education, Labor Force Development, Career Readiness, High School Students,...
In this study the emphasis of selecting a school and profession is put onto the family role in educational and professional guidance in order to help the students to obtain the necessary information for further education, by the help of their parents, more efficiently and more functionally. The study was conducted in Virovitica and Podravina County with two groups of subjects and included 1.063 children--555 of them were eighth grade students of elementary school and 508 were first grade...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Foreign Countries, Elementary School Students, Grade 8, Parents, Parent Role, Career...
Since 2013, states have witnessed significant legislative activity related to secondary- and postsecondary-level career/technical education (CTE). One key goal of much recent policymaking activity has been to improve alignment between high school and postsecondary CTE programs, including by developing state or regional structures to design career pathways that prepare students for high-skill, high-demand jobs. This report provides a first look at state policymaking activity in 13 states. Policy...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Postsecondary Education, Alignment (Education), Elementary Secondary Education, State...
This report looks at whether employers think schools are equipping young people with the literacy skills required for the workplace. It is primarily based on secondary literature sources and introductory conversations with a small sample of key employers and agencies. A complementary report presents evidence on young people's views on literacy and employability. A bibliography is included. [For the complimentary report "Young People's Views on Literacy Skills and Employment", see...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Employer Attitudes, Employers, Job Skills, Literacy, Reading Skills, Writing Skills,...
A strong education prepares students to succeed in their chosen careers; but education, training, and employment pathways are changing. Individuals take multiple paths into the workforce. Some get jobs after completing high school; some after earning a college degree. Others leave the workforce to go back to school, while still others enroll in education or skills training while working. One-fourth of adults in the United States have nondegree credentials, such as an information technology...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Labor Force, Education Work Relationship, Data, Elementary Secondary Education, Job...
"Closing the Gaps: The Texas Higher Education Plan" was adopted in October 2000 by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB). The goal of the "Closing the Gaps" ("CTG") plan is to close educational gaps in participation, success, excellence, and research within Texas and between Texas and other states by 2015. This 2014 progress report, the 12th annual progress report from the THECB, shows that many gaps have been closed or are within reach of being...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Higher Education, Achievement Gap, Academic Achievement, Equal Education, High...
In a time of economic recession, many working adults pursue higher education. Those looking to go back to school must consider the benefits and disadvantages of both Career Education and Liberal Arts Education options. Transferability of credits earned, financial commitment, and the increase of online education are correspondingly discussed. Presented as part of a conference panel devoted to the issue of career education verses liberal arts degrees titled, "Career Education vs. Liberal...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Career Education, Liberal Arts, Educational Benefits, College Credits, Transfer...
Launched in 2011, the Accelerating Opportunity (AO) initiative aims to increase the ability of students with low basic skills to earn valued occupational credentials, obtain well-paying jobs, and sustain rewarding careers. AO encourages states to change the delivery of adult education for students interested in learning career skills by enrolling them in for-credit career and technical education courses at local community colleges as they improve their basic education and English language...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Vocational Education, Basic Skills, Adult Basic Education, Credentials, Skill...
In a knowledge-based economy, a postsecondary credential is vital for gainful employment and upward socioeconomic mobility. Unfortunately, the path a student takes from high school graduation to college course work is too often characterized by a troubling detour, namely, "remediation." According to Complete College America (2012), over half of first-year students attending community college require at least one remedial course in English or mathematics. The challenge for students is...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Postsecondary Education, College Readiness, Remedial Instruction, Alignment...
The debate about high school reform is increasingly focused on the role of career-technical education (CTE) in helping to prepare "all" students for success in "both" postsecondary education and the workforce. The stand-alone vocational courses into which high school students with lower academic achievement were often channeled are becoming a thing of the past. Instead, programs that merge CTE, rigorous academic coursework, and career exploration opportunities, while...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Career Development, Career Education, Technical Education, Vocational Education,...